Kill the Self-Pity (English)
by Fulmination
Summary: One year after the end of the war a traumatized Kurome is still haunted by visions of the last person she killed. She knew she was a monster and should have just let the red-haired girl kill her that day. However, a chance encounter with one of the last surviving members of Night Raid might provide both with the needed comfort. Oneshot!


**Here's a short story, because I haven't uploaded in a while. It ties into canon, since, if you've read the manga, then you know that Kurome suffered from serious PTSD in the end. If you haven't read it, then I advise you to do so, as it's much different from the anime. There are also other language versions of this story on my profile, if you feel like checking them out. I do not guarantee that they're on the same level as this one in terms of language usage, but I tried my best :). Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Akame ga Kill.**

 **Kill the Self-Pity**

A sudden sound in the night and a shaking of the bed made Wave wake up with a start. He didn't need to look around to identify the source, he knew what it was before he even opened his eyes. Sighing tiredly, he sat up and almost by habit pulled the twisting and whimpering Kurome in his arms. She was having another nightmare. The war had ended nearly one year ago and yet it still happened every night without exception.

He rocked her gently, shushing her and telling her it was ok until she slowly woke up. Looking up in his eyes she began apologizing through tears for waking him up again, for being so horrible and making his life so difficult. Wave wasn't bothered to say anything. That was always the first thing she did. She didn't need to hear anymore that it was no issue for him whatsoever or that he would stay up all night for her if needed. She already knew all of those things well.

She sobbed in his chest about the ghosts that would not leave her alone, haunting her every night, because she was a monster and she did not deserve to be alive after the deaths she had caused. She whispered it was time to join them.

Wave denied it calmly and sternly as he always did. He told her she was not a monster, but someone with a good heart, who had learned from all that had transpired and was now on a path towards a better and more peaceful life. All the rest was just in her head.

"But they are right there, don't you see them?" she stared frightened behind his shoulder.

There were all of her victims looking at her accusingly, wanting her to receive her retribution. And in the front was that red-haired girl. She was always there with that mocking smile of hers. Kurome had never even learned her name.

Wave looked tiredly around the empty room, saying calmly that there was no one there, but she kept looking behind him and insisting that there was.

"Kurome, look at me." he moved her face so that her eyes fell on his. "There is no one else here, it's just us. You need to accept that."

She snuggled into him and closed her eyes shut, trying to chase away the visions and to ignore the voices. Why was the red-haired girl always silent? She just stood there with that condescending smile of hers...

Eventually her breathing became steadier and Wave understood that she had drifted off. Quite a bit faster than most other nights. He set her back on her side of the bed carefully and watched over her for as long as he could until sleep overcame him too. Little did he know that Kurome's dreams were not over.

She found herself on a sunlit field next to a small forest, where a familiar scene played out for her. The red-haired girl ran through the field when a gunshot blew off the fingers of her left hand. Gasping, she tried to transform, but a sword sliced her right arm clean off, before another gunshot pierced her chest, finishing her. She fell on the ground, her bloodied face looking at the sky with a mixture of surprise and fright. The past Kurome approached and looked down at her with contempt.

"No!" screamed the current Kurome, watching helplessly from the side. "Don't do it! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I swear I'm not that person anymore! I'm not..."

"You're not?" a voice came from behind her.

She turned around to see the red-haired girl standing in front of her, alive, well, and bearing a somewhat curious expression. The scene from the past behind them stood frozen.

"You're...talking to me?" Kurome asked surprised.

"Mhm."

She wanted to say something to her, to explain herself or apologize, but nothing came to her mind. What sort of reasoning or excuse could she offer, really?

"Are you sorry that you killed me?" the girl questioned, bringing her out of her confusion.

"Yes, so much..."

"Why? I tried to kill you first." she responded cheerfully. "It's just how it goes, no hard feelings."

"So you don't hate me?"

"Nope, why would I?"

Another moment of silence dawned.

"See, you survived and I didn't. Don't waste your life blaming yourself for that. Be happy!" the girl smiled and turned to leave, but Kurome stopped her.

"Wait! What...what's your name?"

A response echoed in her mind just before the girl faded away.

"It was Chelsea."

...

Kurome entered the kitchen on the next morning, rubbing her eyes.

"Hey!" greeted Wave. "Good morning!"

"Hey."

She spotted something on the floor and picked it up. It was a lollipop.

"Did you drop this?" she asked Wave.

"Nope, maybe it was one of the nurses."

Kurome looked at it thoughtfully and unwrapped it. It was red. She put it in her mouth.

"You alright?" asked Wave coming up to her.

"Mhm..."

He kissed her on forehead saying he was going to make some breakfast. Kurome went to a window and looked outside, with the loli still in her mouth. She had an idea.

...

She stopped in front of the grave that read "Chelsea," holding a boquete of flowers. She was just about to set them down when a voice came from behind her.

"You've got some nerve coming here."

Mine came next to her and with a single cold glance in her direction set her own pair of flowers on the grave. She had just visited the final resting place of her caring big sister Sheele and now it was time for the other one. The one who used to annoy her to no end, but whom she now missed more than anyone else could ever imagine.

"You know there wasn't much left of her to bury, right? But since your friends did such a good job with her body, we had to make do with what we found."

Kurome looked at the ground without saying anything.

"I would kill you right here and now and I don't even need a Teigu for it. But I won't. You know why?" Mine's tone was even, she didn't raise her voice, but every word felt like an ice dagger.

Still no response came.

"Because I want you to bear that guilt for the rest of your life."

Kurome wiped her eyes briefly, before lifting her head to look at the other girl.

"Thank you." she said simply.

Mine raised her eyebrows.

"Thank me? For what?"

"For being honest. Everyone else tells me that it just happened, that it was the circumstances and not my fault. I'm tired of hearing it. I know well it should be me in there and not her." she set her flowers down next to those of Mine and turned to leave.

"Wait." Mine put a hand on her shoulder and Kurome stopped.

It took the girl a bit to figure out herself how to express what was on her mind. She had to say something, however, as that was the last sort of reaction she had expected after her harsh words. She could not let her former enemy just walk away like this, at least not without first confirming that she meant what she said.

"Do you regret?" she finally came out with the simple question, watching intently for the other girl's reaction.

"What does it matter?" mumbled Kurome and attempted to flee again, but Mine's hand held her in place.

"It matters, because you are here. I need to know."

She sighed and looked at her, nodding sadly.

"More than anything. I would bring her back if I could. And all the rest of them..."

Mine contemplated for a moment. However genuine Kurome seemed, a part of her still felt the urge to do something terrible to her. The past was not so easily forgotten. However, this was not about her and it mattered not what she wanted, but rather what Chelsea would want.

"I think she would forgive you." Mine confirmed, mostly to herself.

"I've heard that before..."

"Not from me you haven't." she cut her off, now talking entirely to her. "I knew Chelsea. She had fun with everything, hated nothing and held no grudges. That was the kind of person she was. I...envied her for that..." she muttered under her breath. "I hate a lot of things."

Indeed, as much as she wished she could be like her late friend, she wasn't, and the part of her that wanted to take revenge on Akame's sister would likely never be gone. But she had to get over her feelings for this, for at the same time Mine could see that Kurome was not like Seryu. She had a heart and conscience, even if she had needed so long to discover it.

Seeing that the other girl was once again struggling to find the right words, Kurome decided to take her chance and mention something that she would not bring up with anyone else.

"If you knew her...would she say that there are no hard feelings, because she tried to kill me first? Would she tell me to be happy that I survived and not to waste my life blaming myself for it?"

Mine was taken aback by the sudden and strangely specific question. For a moment she wondered whether Kurome wasn't subtly mocking her after all, but the girl's serious expression showed otherwise.

"Yes...I guess she would. Where did you hear this?"

Kurome did not even hear the question. She just stared at the grave a few meters away from them wide-eyed. Had it not been just a dream? Had she heard the actual Chelsea talking to her?

Mine snapped her fingers in front of the other girl's face, bringing her out of her trance. Shaking her head, she started mumbling an incoherent apology, to which Mine just sighed.

"Look..." she lifted a hand to silence her. "You have a second chance, that's true. Make the best of it. If you really want to honor Chelsea, that's what you can do. Show that you deserve to live."

With her own last look at the name on the stone, Mine turned around and left. She had nothing more to say.

Kurome, on the other hand, remained there for nearly a minute until the message finally dawned on her. It hadn't been just a dream, she didn't know how, but she felt certain of that. Chelsea's smile in her visions was not mocking or condescending. It was warm and encouraging. She was urging her to move on.

Suddenly remembering something, she went back to the grave, then pulled a loli out of her pocket and set it down next to the flowers. She lingered there quietly for a little longer, before leaving to sleep peacefully for the first time in a year.

Unbeknownst to her, Mine kept watching from afar. She nodded approvingly at the black-haired girl's final deed. As she stood there in the soft breeze she got the slightest feeling of two arms wrapping gently around her, just before catching a glimpse of something red at the corner of her eye.

"Is that what you wanted?" she said to the air, as if expecting a response back.

When nothing else happened, she closed her eyes for a few seconds, simply savoring the warm feeling until it faded away.

"Rest in peace, sis." whispered Mine and, without another word, walked away as well.


End file.
